Top Curves Personal Sweat Absorber

ABSTRACT

The invention is a women&#39;s clothing accessory designed to be worn inside of a brassiere and between the breasts for the absorption of perspiration during exercise, athletic activities, or other activities that would result in perspiration. The device can be used with any type of bra and by women of various sizes. The invention can be inserted and removed without the need for the wearer to remove the bra. The invention device consists of an outer shell constructed of moisture wicking and rapid drying fabric filled with a highly absorbent material to capture the perspiration that is wicked away from the body by fabric of the outer shell. The accessory is secured to the bra by either a strap that folds over the top and bottom of the bra or an adhesive material affixed to both the outer shell and the inside of the brassiere.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Provisional Patent Application Number: 62/390,340

Filing Date: Mar. 28, 2016

Relationship: Provisional application was for the same invention

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

This invention was not made by an agency of the United States Government nor under a contract with an agency of the United States Government.

THE NAME OF THE PARTIES TO JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

Not Applicable.

INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC OR AS A TEXT FILE VIA THE OFFICE ELECTRONIC FILING SYSTEM (EFS-WEB)

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES BY THE INVENTOR OR A JOINT INVENTOR

The invention disclosed in this application went on the market for sale to the public on Feb. 23, 2017.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed to a clothing accessory designed for the absorption of perspiration. In particular, the accessory is designed to be worn inside of a bra between the breasts for the absorption of perspiration during exercise, athletic activities, or other activities that would result in perspiration.

Millions of women in the United States participate in organized athletics or other fitness activities. Some of the most popular activities for women include aerobics, yoga, walking, dancing and use of cardiovascular exercise equipment. (United States Bureau of Labor Statistics). Athletic apparel for women is a multi-billion dollar industry including sales of female specific items like sports bras and swim suits. The invention addressed in this application is an accessory to be worn inside of a bra and between the breasts for the absorption of perspiration during exercise, athletic activities, or other activities that would result in perspiration. The invention can be inserted and removed without the need for the wearer to remove the bra.

Description of Related Art

There have been many devices invented to serve the purpose of sweat absorption. However, none of these past inventions have provided the means and ease of use for absorbing sweat in the area between the breasts as does the present invention.

The Disposable Perspiration Absorbing Pad (U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,162, issued May 31, 1988 to Yanaghara, et. al) is a disposable pad with an adhesive backing designed to be affixed to clothing in the underarm location or the back of the neck for the absorption of perspiration. Like the present invention, the Yanaghara device is intended for the absorption of perspiration, but the Yanaghara invention is a thin pad designed for use under the arm or the back of the neck and its design would be ineffective at absorbing perspiration from between a woman's breast.

The Brassiere Underliner For Absorption of Perspiration (U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,255, issued Feb. 10, 1998 to Abercrombie, et. al) like the Yanaghara device is a pad that is affixed to clothing via the use of an adhesive backing for the absorption of the perspiration. The Abercrombie invention is designed to be affix to a brassiere (bra) and worn between the bra and the skin. It is worn across a woman's chest underneath both breasts. The Absorbent Pad for Torso Area Beneath Breasts (U.S. Pat. No. 6,203,399, issued Mar. 20, 2001 to Cleo Hackney) and The Disposable Push-Up Bra Liner (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/094,181 published Oct. 29, 2014 with inventors Milan and Marko Golubovic) are similar to the Abercrombie invention. Both inventions affix to the bra and are worn across a woman's chest underneath both breasts. Unlike the invention described in this application, these three devices require the removal of the bra to be fitted into place and mainly absorbs the perspiration underneath the breasts as opposed to the targeted area of between the breasts.

The Underarm Perspiration Shields (U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,276, granted October 31, 2000 to Asclutto, et al) and the Under Arm/Breast Perspiration Shields (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/716,607, published Aug. 2, 2007 with inventor Susan Reeves) are both absorbent pads that are affixed to a woman's brassiere and extend to the underarm area for the absorption of perspiration from that area. The Reeves invention may also extend into the regions at the side of the breast but would not cover the area between the breasts.

The Perspiration Shield Employing Gel Material (U.S. Pat. No. 6,371,377, issued Jan. 29, 2002 to Faries, et. al) is a perspiration absorption device designed to adhere directly to the skin. The Faries device is described as a substantially flat, rectangular strip or sheet with one surface formed from an absorbent material and the other surface formed from a silicone gel. The silicone gel surface is intended to directly adhere to the skin and close the pores of the skin to which it attaches while the absorbent surface absorbs perspiration from the pores of the skin adjacent and opposing the skin surface to which the silicone gel layer is attached. The Faries patent provides the example of utilizing the invention for the absorption of perspiration underneath the breasts;, however, this would require the use to forego the wearing of a brassiere as the skin surface of the breast is separated from the skin of the chest underneath the breast by the cloth of the brassiere. Also, the Faries invention would not function well in the area between the breast due to the separation of space between the breasts.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,246,416 (Comfort Bra Liner) granted to Donna J. Frye on Aug. 21, 2012 for an insert work between the bra and the body in the portion of the bra lying under the supported breast for added comfort and perspiration absorption. The invention of this patent along with the inserts of U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,794,304 and 7,793,358, also granted to Donna J. Frye, is designed to be positioned under the breast between the bra and the breast and has a portion that can be positioned between the bra cups. The present invention is designed to be utilized in the area between the breasts. An advantage of the present invention over the Frye invention is the compactness and design of the present invention would allow it to be discretely removed and replaced without removal of the bra and any outer garments.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Millions of women in the United States participate in organized athletics or other fitness activities. Some of the most popular activities for women include aerobics, yoga, walking, dancing and use of cardiovascular exercise equipment. Athletic apparel for women is a multi-billion dollar industry including sales of female specific items like sports bras and swim suits. The invention addressed in this application is a women's clothing accessory designed to be worn inside of a bra and between the breasts for the absorption of perspiration during exercise, athletic activities, or other activities that would result in perspiration. The device can be used with any type of bra and by women of various sizes. The invention can be inserted and removed without the need for the wearer to remove the bra.

The invention is targeted toward the absorption of perspiration between a woman's breasts. The invention device consists of an outer shell (10) constructed of moisture wicking and rapid drying fabric filled with a highly absorbent material to capture the perspiration that is wicked away from the body by fabric of the outer shell and a strap (20) that slides through the sleeve (11) on the outer shell (10) where the strap (20) is of sufficient length to fold over the top and bottom of the bra to affix the ends of the strap (20) together in order to secure the invention to the bra.

Another usage of this invention to provide comfort to women who have undergone breast surgery by both absorbing perspiration in the area between the breast and provide a degree of separation and padding between the breasts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a side view of the invention showing the outer shell (10), the strap (20) for securing the device to a bra, and Velcro® ends (21) on the strap (20) to secure the ends of the strap (20) together.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the invention showing the outer shell (10), the sleeve (11) on the outer shell (10) and the strap (20).

FIG. 3 is illustrative of the placement of the invention device (1) inside of a bra and between the breasts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The invention addressed in this application is a women's clothing accessory designed to be worn inside of a bra and between the breasts for the absorption of perspiration during exercise, athletic activities, or other activities that would result in perspiration. The device can be used with any type of bra and by women of various sizes. The invention can be inserted and removed without the need for the wearer to remove the bra.

The invention is targeted toward the absorption of perspiration between a woman's breasts. The invention device consists of an outer shell (10)constructed of moisture wicking and rapid drying fabric filled with a highly absorbent material to capture the perspiration that is wicked away from the body by fabric of the outer shell. The accessory is secured to the bra by a strap (20) that slides through the sleeve (11) on the outer shell (10) where the strap (20) is of sufficient length to fold over the top and bottom of the bra to affix the ends of the strap (20) together in order to secure the invention to the bra.

The outer shell (10) is constructed of a moisture wicking and rapid drying technical fabric. An example of such a fabric is Coolmax® manufactured by Invista Corporation. The shell of the invention is not limited to a specific color and can be manufactured in a variety of colors and patterns to coordinate with the color and variety of sports bras marketed.

The outer shell (10) is filled with a highly absorbent material to capture the perspiration that is wicked away from the body by fabric of the outer shell (10). In addition to high absorbency, it is also desired to utilize a fabric for the inner core that has been treated with antimicrobials to inhibit growth of odor causing bacteria. An example material suitable for the inner core of the outer shell (10) is the French Terry manufactured by Texollini Corporation. The accessory is a sealed system and can be washed and re-used. The outer shell (10) is further equipped with a sleeve (11) for utilization with a strap to secure the device to a bra.

It is envisioned that alternate embodiments of the invention may include utilization of Hydraluxe® gel technology along with an absorbent material as the filling of the outer shell (10). The usage of the Hydraluxe® gel technology, that is often used in mattresses and pillows, is envisioned to provide a cooling feeling to the body in the area contacted by the invention described in this application.

The invention is secured to the bra by a strap (20) that slides through the sleeve (11) on the outer shell (10) where the strap (20) is of sufficient length to fold over the top and bottom of the bra to affix the ends of the strap (20) together in order to secure the invention to the bra. The strap (20) is a band of a durable elastic with non-slip material, such as Velcro®, sections or a hook and loop on either end of the strap for securing the ends of the strap(20) together. The strap (20) may be elastic of the same color as the outer shell (10). Alternatively, the strap (20) may be covered in the same fabric as used in manufacture of the outer shell (10) to provide uniformity in color and pattern.

Another embodiment of the invention would forego the use of the strap (20) and affix the device to the bra by means of non-slip material inserts permanently affixed to the inside of the bra and to the outer shell (10) of the device whereby the outer shell could be directly attached to the bra. An example would be the affixation of Velcro® directly to the outer shell (10) and the bra.

It should be noted that although example fabrics are provided for the construction of the outer shell, inner core and securing straps the construction of these components of the invention are not limited to the examples provided. The examples provided are illustrative of the preferred embodiment of the invention and the description of the use of these specific materials is not intended to limit the invention to the use of only these materials. Other materials with similar properties and performance could also be used.

Potential patent classifications for this invention include Class 450 Foundation Garments, Subclass 57 Pads and Class 2 Apparel Subclass 46 Garment Protectors.

The present invention described above and illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3 is visualized as the preferred embodiment of the invention. It is envisioned that this invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that changes in forms and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. It is therefore intended that the present invention not be limited to the exact forms and details described and illustrated herein, but falls within the scope of the appended claims.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the specification and relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “on”, “attached” to, “connected” to, “coupled” with, “contacting”, etc., another element, it can be directly on, attached to, connected to, coupled with or contacting the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being, for example, “directly on”, “directly attached” to, “directly connected” to, “directly coupled” with or “directly contacting” another element, there are no intervening elements present. It will also be appreciated by those of skill in the art that references to a stricture or feature that is disposed “adjacent” another feature may have portions that overlap or underlie the adjacent feature. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A device to be worn under a brassiere and between the breasts for the absorption of perspiration where said device consists of an outer shell constructed of a moisture wicking and rapid drying technical fabric with said outer shell filled with an absorbent material.
 2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the device is secured to the brassiere by means of a strap made of durable elastic where said strap is routed through a sleeve on the outer shell and then folded over the top of the bottom of the brassier and the ends of said strap are secured together by means of non-slip material section of either end of the strap.
 3. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the device is secured to the brassiere by means of a strap made of durable elastic where said strap is routed through a sleeve on the outer shell and then folded over the top of the bottom of the brassier and the ends of said strap are secured together by means of a hook on one end of the strap and a loop on the other end of the strap.
 4. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the device is secured to the brassiere by means of a non-slip material sections affixed to both the outer shell and the brassiere.
 5. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the outer shell is filled with a mixture of an absorbent material and Hydraluxe® gel technology material. 